Pat Riley Says He Won’t Coach Again..Supports Erik Spoelstra For Now

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I like Erik Spoelstra, not just for the fact that he is dating a former Heat cheerleader allegedly (see pics above), but considering the situation he was put in, to get within 2 games of a NBA Championship in my mind should be considered as a success.

I do think he deserves another chance to try to lead the Heat to a title, I don’t like the fact he will be going into next year as a lame duck coach (last year of his contract), but he will just have to deal with that.

Pat Riley tried to put to rest some of the rumors that Spoelstra would be fired and he would be the next head coach.

Riley quickly ended any speculation that he would entertain a return to the bench to coach the Heat in the future.

Erik Spoelstra will return for his fourth season as coach, which is believed to be the final year on his contract. But Riley said there has been no discussions about a long-term extension for Spoelstra.

Riley, who recently has worked under a “year to year” agreement with owner Micky Arison, said he would continue to guide the Heat’s basketball operations under a similar arrangement.

Asked specifically if he felt an urge to coach again, Riley shot down the notion.

“No, I’m not going to,” Riley said of coaching. “It doesn’t mean that I don’t have the fire. But we’ve got a great young coach here, and I want to support him. And hopefully, he can grow like I did. We’ll bring Erik back, definitely.”

There will be a ton of pressure on Spoelstra and the South Beach NWO next year. They will be considered the clear favorites to win the title and if they don’t Spoelstra will be made the scapegoat.